By Boniface Ongeri
GARISSA, KENYA: Immediate former Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim has defended the Jubilee government nominees for the cabinet secretaries.
He said the opposition are not in power and have no right to tell President Uhuru Kenyatta who to pick and not to pick for his government.
Maalim who unsuccessfully contested for the Garissa senate seat on Cord alliance said the opposition work is limited to monitoring how the Jubilee coalition governs and where the constitution is threatened.
"The more mistakes the government make the better for us to wrestle power from them in future. Until then the opposition has no right in meddling on the list of nominees to various positions", he said.
He also defended the nomination of former Cabinet Ministers Charity Ngilu and Najib Balala.
Ngilu did well in the Ministry of Water where she is accused of integrity issues, Maalim said adding that the question of integrity is relative.
"We cannot talk of integrity when we have no evidence. The communities in Eastern where she is accused of impropriety fully deserved the water because of dire need", he said.
He said to have a government of technocrats only was impossible as every Kenyan has a political inclination.
At the same time, Maalim paid tribute to the late Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo saying he was a brilliant mind.
"When we were in dire need of constitutional interpretations we sought Mutula. He was in his own league together with the late Bonaya Godana", Maalim said.
He said the Mutula was athletic and fit and the country will dearly miss him.
